the imps, just use your magic.”
I thought of the horse bursting into flames.
“I haven’t learned animal magic.”
He looked at me as if I were
a talking elm. “Just feel it, Elfreda.” I ignored the slight annoyance that
Chevelle must have told him my name that way instead of Frey or
Freya.
“ I don’t understand,” I
complained.
“ You don’t learn magic, it’s part of
you. Feel it. Think about what you want the horse to do.” My
confusion must have still been evident. “It’s like a muscle. You
didn’t think about lifting your leg to get on the horse, you just
knew you wanted to climb on and your leg lifted.”
Chevelle had caught us now, riding up as
Steed was finishing his explanation. He was angry. “This isn’t the
time for a magic lesson.” Our horses slowed to a walk in tandem as
he shot Steed a serious glare.
As we slowed, I remembered the fire in the
clearing, my lessons with Chevelle. It had been so obvious with the
fire, I guessed because I had used it for so long. “What about your
hands?” I asked.
“ What do you mean?” Steed
answered, ignoring Chevelle’s warning glance.
“ Why do you use your hands,
if you just think it, I mean?”
He laughed. “That’s simply a
quirk, I guess; a funny habit. Like when you’re playing flip ball
and you want your piece to go in so bad you lean hard to ‘help’ it in.”
I remembered the game from when I’d first
come to the village. The children would be bound from magic and
have to use their physical skills to throw an odd-shaped piece into
the corresponding hole on a game board placed several yards away.
They would lean forward after they threw, sometimes bouncing and
chanting, “come on… come on”, sometimes tilting sideways at the
waist and twisting like somehow wishing would make the ball
respond. The game held no interest for me. I didn’t have to be
bound to not have magic, it wasn’t a novelty, it was everyday
life.
“ We should stop for
breakfast,” Chevelle stated firmly.
We hadn’t been riding more than a few minutes
but he was adamant. I didn’t really mind, I’d been eating berries
for too long and I wasn’t quite sure about riding yet.
“ I suppose you’re right…
might as well enjoy the journey.” Steed winked at me. We stopped
under the canopy of a large tree and Steed grabbed me as I slid
down off the horse. “You may ask him to kneel, Elfreda.” But he
didn’t seem to mind handling me about the waist to help me
down.
I brushed the hair back from my face. “Yes,
well, I guess I should start practicing.” I noticed the fire
Chevelle was building flare and then die down to the proper
size.
“ Sit, Elfreda,” Chevelle
commanded.
Steed followed me as I walked to a fallen
limb by the fire and sat. He sat as well, apparently not concerned
about who was finding us breakfast. Irritation rolled off Chevelle
as he concentrated before running into the tree line to the west.
In a moment he was back, carrying three large birds.
“ Where is your bow?” I
asked.
Steed laughed loudly. “She’s a hoot!”
Chevelle looked as though he could be in
danger of losing his temper. I didn’t get the joke.
“ You’re serious ?” Steed wasn’t laughing now.
He gaped at Chevelle. “What, she’s a bright
lighter ?”
Chevelle was across the gap
and in his face almost before Steed could stand. I started to
respond but a screeching siren pierced my ears and I doubled over,
boxing my hands to cover them. It was inside, inside my ears .
I tried to open my eyes,
hoping someone would be there to help me, but I could see through
the slits they were just standing face to face… arguing? Did they
not see me? I tried
to scream for help but couldn’t get the sound out. They were
leaning toward each other, oblivious to me. I closed my eyes and
curled into a ball as the seconds dragged on. Would I die ?
And then, abruptly, it stopped.
I sucked in a ragged breath.
I seemed fine, a
little dizzy maybe. I risked
I thought of the horse bursting into flames.
“I haven’t learned animal magic.”
He looked at me as if I were
a talking elm. “Just feel it, Elfreda.” I ignored the slight annoyance that
Chevelle must have told him my name that way instead of Frey or
Freya.
“ I don’t understand,” I
complained.
“ You don’t learn magic, it’s part of
you. Feel it. Think about what you want the horse to do.” My
confusion must have still been evident. “It’s like a muscle. You
didn’t think about lifting your leg to get on the horse, you just
knew you wanted to climb on and your leg lifted.”
Chevelle had caught us now, riding up as
Steed was finishing his explanation. He was angry. “This isn’t the
time for a magic lesson.” Our horses slowed to a walk in tandem as
he shot Steed a serious glare.
As we slowed, I remembered the fire in the
clearing, my lessons with Chevelle. It had been so obvious with the
fire, I guessed because I had used it for so long. “What about your
hands?” I asked.
“ What do you mean?” Steed
answered, ignoring Chevelle’s warning glance.
“ Why do you use your hands,
if you just think it, I mean?”
He laughed. “That’s simply a
quirk, I guess; a funny habit. Like when you’re playing flip ball
and you want your piece to go in so bad you lean hard to ‘help’ it in.”
I remembered the game from when I’d first
come to the village. The children would be bound from magic and
have to use their physical skills to throw an odd-shaped piece into
the corresponding hole on a game board placed several yards away.
They would lean forward after they threw, sometimes bouncing and
chanting, “come on… come on”, sometimes tilting sideways at the
waist and twisting like somehow wishing would make the ball
respond. The game held no interest for me. I didn’t have to be
bound to not have magic, it wasn’t a novelty, it was everyday
life.
“ We should stop for
breakfast,” Chevelle stated firmly.
We hadn’t been riding more than a few minutes
but he was adamant. I didn’t really mind, I’d been eating berries
for too long and I wasn’t quite sure about riding yet.
“ I suppose you’re right…
might as well enjoy the journey.” Steed winked at me. We stopped
under the canopy of a large tree and Steed grabbed me as I slid
down off the horse. “You may ask him to kneel, Elfreda.” But he
didn’t seem to mind handling me about the waist to help me
down.
I brushed the hair back from my face. “Yes,
well, I guess I should start practicing.” I noticed the fire
Chevelle was building flare and then die down to the proper
size.
“ Sit, Elfreda,” Chevelle
commanded.
Steed followed me as I walked to a fallen
limb by the fire and sat. He sat as well, apparently not concerned
about who was finding us breakfast. Irritation rolled off Chevelle
as he concentrated before running into the tree line to the west.
In a moment he was back, carrying three large birds.
“ Where is your bow?” I
asked.
Steed laughed loudly. “She’s a hoot!”
Chevelle looked as though he could be in
danger of losing his temper. I didn’t get the joke.
“ You’re serious ?” Steed wasn’t laughing now.
He gaped at Chevelle. “What, she’s a bright
lighter ?”
Chevelle was across the gap
and in his face almost before Steed could stand. I started to
respond but a screeching siren pierced my ears and I doubled over,
boxing my hands to cover them. It was inside, inside my ears .
I tried to open my eyes,
hoping someone would be there to help me, but I could see through
the slits they were just standing face to face… arguing? Did they
not see me? I tried
to scream for help but couldn’t get the sound out. They were
leaning toward each other, oblivious to me. I closed my eyes and
curled into a ball as the seconds dragged on. Would I die ?
And then, abruptly, it stopped.
I sucked in a ragged breath.
I seemed fine, a
little dizzy maybe. I risked
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